Craig Jessup Photo by Harley Jessup

Craig Jessup has appeared in cabarets in New York and throughout Europe, pleasing fans with his terrific vocal cords. He teamed up with Ruth Hastings in 1977 to form Ruth Hastings and Company and they played in every club in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay for several years. After a successful run of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, he was invited to perform at the Belgium National Opera House in Brussels.

Craig Jessup's recent gig was called This Funny World and featured songs by Rodgers and Hart, the Gershwins, Stephen Sondheim, and Noel Coward. He was backed by Ken Muir on the piano and Daniel Fabricant on bass. Jessup entered the stage without fanfare and said, "We are going through a rough period now, so we can sing show tunes to keep us going." He launched into Maltby and Shire's "Starting Here, Starting Now," segueing into "Sweet and Lowdown" before moving smoothly into the the Gershwins' "They All Laughed."

Three segments were tributes to three writers/writing teams. The first was a tribute to Stephen Sondheim. Jessup started out brightly singing "Old Friend" from Merrily We Roll Along, vamping right into "Live Alone and Like It" from the film Dick Tracy, continuing into "If Momma Was Married," then smoothly into "Good Thing Going." He pointedly sang "Being Alive" and ended up singing "Company." Ken Muir shined on piano, playing "This Funny World," and Craig came back to vibrant sing "Anyone Can Whistle."

Jessup saluted Rodgers and Hart in the next batch by singing "This Can't Be Love," It's Got to be Love," "Blue Moon," "I Married An Angel", "I Could Write a Book," and "Thou Swell" with pitch perfect resonance.

From that new show called Hamilton, Jessup interspersed King George III's song, "You'll Be Back," with a large crown on this head and a scepter in his right hand.

He finally saluted the composer he has been identified with, Noel Coward, singing with an accent "Mrs. Worthington," "Nina," and "Sail Away" with his dynamic voice.

Lastly, he took to the piano to play his won compositions "Song of My Father" and "Rockaway," the town in Oregon where he grew up. As an encore he sang "Our Love Is Here to Stay."

Craig Jessup: This Funny World appeared on August 17, 2017, at Society Cabaret in the Hotel Rex, 562 Sutter Street just off Union Square. For a full line up of celebrity events, visit www.societycabaret.com.